Tire-tightener



(No Model.)

F. S. HOLT. TIRE TIGHTBNBR.

10.417,322. Patented Deo. 17, 1889.

WMM-@mao Suva/nto@ UNITED? STATES PATENT Fries..

FRANK sAUND'E as HoLT, orY AMONTGoMnRY, ALABAMA.

TIRE-"rseH'rlamzu."4

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 41 7,322,dated`1)ecember 17, 1889.' I Application filed October l5, 1889. SerialNo. 3277073. (No model.) v. v

To all whom z't'may concern:

Beit known that I, FRANK SAUNDERS HoLT, a citizen 'of the United-States, residing at Montgomery, in the county ofMontgomery and State ofAlabama, have'invented certain new and useful Improvements in rIirefTighteners, of, which the following is a description,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon.

My inventionis an improved tire-tightener of the type in which thetightening 'devices act between the spoke and the felly, asdistinguished from -that class in which they act simply betweencontiguous sections of the v jelly.

Heretofore various means have been devised for Iaccomplishing thepurpose of this invention; butall are more or less defective inoperation, either from their com plexity' or by reason of the exposureof" their working parts, thus allowing dirt and water to enter andinterfere with their proper-action. In addition to these,other defectspeculiar to the particular 'class of tighteners to which this inventionrelates exist, viz: the -material weakening of the' spokes to which thetightening device is secured and Vthe tendency of the parts to workloose.

The object, therefore, of the presentI invensimple and cheap inconstruction, unexposed in those parts which would b e affected by dirtor moisture, andso attached to the spoke as not to weaken the same inthe slightest degree.

The invention therefore consists in the construction a'nd arrangement ofparts whereby -the above-mentioned objects are accomplished, and isillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Whichr Figure 1 is a sideelevation of a portion of al wheel and spoke, showing my device i'nposition.v Fig. 2 isa similar View, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a sideelevation of the spoke towhich my invention is attached. Figs. 4 and 5are side elevations of the i upper and lower nuts, respectively. Figs.and 7 are plan views of the same. f

In the drawings, A is Ya section of the felly of a wheel, B the tirethereomand C a spoke.

`against the under side of the felly.

In the drawings the device is shown as apY as to extend entirely throughthe felly, or, as Y willbe apparent, may extend only part way throughthe same. The upper part of the 1educed portion b of the spoke ispreferably rounded for the recept-ion ot' a nut D, (shown in Figs. 4.and 6,) said nut being thereby free to turn Yon said part b. Thelowerplart of said reducedportionb is not rounded, but` preferablyhexagonal in form, in order-to receive a nut E, (shown in Figs. 5 and7,) the opening in which is of similar form, whereby said nut will beincapable of 1 rotation. 'lhe nutsD and E are in external erably equalto the diameter of. the and when in position the lop of the spoke, nut Dbears against a washer d, resting against and protecting the under sideof the felly. Thus` any upward movement of sadnut will press the fellyoutward and increase its diameter, thereby tightening the tire.

It will be apparent that the washer (Z may be dispensed with and the nutbear directly In order to provide for the upward movement ot' the nut Dwhen it is desired to tighten the tire, the 11u-t E has two inclined orcam surfaces -formed upon its upper face, each incline extending overonefhalf of the surface and having sloping teeth formed on saidinclines,as illustrated'in the drawings.

Y 'lhe lower face ofthe nut D has corre-l sponding inclines providedwith teeth, so that when the, two nuts are placed together in positionon the will form a perfect-cylinder, fitting snugly at the top againstthe washer d and at the base against the shoulder on the main portionaof the spoke. When, however, the 'tire becomes slack and it is desiredto tighten the same, it

"is only necessary `to rotate the nut D, when the same will ride uponthe inclined surface diameter pref'- portion b of the spoke they IOOerably covering completelythe nut -E, and

leaving only enough of the. nutD exposed t0. admit of the application ofthe tool for r0.- taxing it.

It will be seen that by making the teeth upon the inclined surfaces ofthe nuts sloping they can be readily-forced apart in thetorwardrotationnf nut D, but cannot come to.

get her again unless said nut is tu rned alittle more than.l half-wayaround, when it will fall back into 1its original position.

The inclination of theinclined or cam surfaces of the nuts is preferablyabout enough to lengthen the spoke one-fourth of an inch,

when the nut 1 is turned one-third around, and it will be seen thatbyplacing this device upon la number ot' the lspokes the slackcst tirecanbe tightened.

Itwill be apparent that the lower 'part o f the reduced portion 1 of thespoke may be rounded instead of hexagonal, in which vcase it would benecessary to secure the nut E lfrom 1 rotation by securing it to thespoke in any suitable manner. Again, the n ut E might be dispensed with..and toothed cam-faces corresponding to those on the nut D might besecured directlyto the shoulder on the main portion of thespoke.

Numerous other'changes from the partienlar .construction herein shownand described n lght be made without departingr from the spirit of myinvention. j

Having thus described rnyinvention, what I claim, and desire -tosceu reby Letters Patent,

,1. IIn .conl'rinat-ion with the felly of a wheel aud'la spoke fittingat one end therein, an an nular'itothed cam secured around a portion ofs pke, and anu't provided with a correspondingly-toothed c'axn on' its-lower lface apd located between said cam and the felly and adaptedwhen' turned to bear against said felly.

2. In combination with the fellyof awheel and a spoke fitting'at one endtherein, a stationary ring or 'nut secured around said spoke and havingtwo toothed cams or inclines formed upon its upper surface, eachextending. over one-half the surface thereof, anda rotatable nut abovethe same, having its vlower .face formed to register with'saidstationary nut and located between the latter and the felly.

3.`In combination .with the fellyof a wheel and a-spoke itting 'at oneend therein, a stationary nut secured around said spoke, havinga toothedcam or cams on its upper face, :and a rotatable nut between saidstationary nut and the fellya'nd correspondingly shaped lon its lowersurface and adapted'wh'en roftated to bear against the f e'lly; f

timmerman with .th any or atten and a spoke fitting therein,anannulartootlied nut h avin'g a correspondinglytoothedcamon its lowerface and locatedbetween said ,cam f Iand the felly, and a removablesleeve for inclosing the working parts. l r

5. In` combination with thespokeandfelly .of wheel, a stationary n utsurrcundingsaid spoke, having a toothed cam or cams edits upper face, arotatable nut between 'said stationary nut and the felly landcorrespondingly vshaped on its flower face, and a removablesleevelu'pon.said spoke for inclos'inggthe'work- Ein,'g"fparts,substantially as describ'e'd.V`

`6...'1he combination, with the fellyand a yspoke tenofn'ed at' its endto iit within the same and havinga main portion (L ,aad-,a reducedportion b, said reducedportionlieing rounded. at its upper part andhexagonal at its lower part, ofanu't ittin'g around said hexagonalportion and havingitwo `tlflthed cams Vt'orlfned upon its uppersurface," ea'hegtending over one-half the surface thereof, and arotatable nut upon the rounded portion of said part b, having toothedcams registering with. thoseon the lower nut, all substantially asdescribed.

-In testimony whereof I affix my 'signature in presence of twowitnesses.'

MiLLER BURCH, J. M. DAVIDSON.

IOO

